Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of the Justice, Law, Democracy (AHD) Party and a member of parliament, answered questions from the party’s press service.
Xalqcəbhəsi.az presents the interview:
– Gudrat bey, can the expected visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Armenia tomorrow and the documents to be signed make a significant contribution to Pashinyan’s victory in the June 7 elections?
– In societies where democratic values are not developed, the motivation for human behavior is not high values, but fear. A person turns into another creature that acts and makes decisions based on instinct rather than consciousness. The election results in Armenia will depend less on how seriously Armenian citizens take the threats coming from Russia that Armenia could become Ukraine. The US Vice President’s pre-election visit to Hungary and his open political support for Orban along with Trump did not save Orban from a heavy defeat. Pashinyan is known as a protege of Soros, whom Trump dislikes, and is under the patronage of French President Macron, whom Trump mocks and insults. Therefore, I do not think Trump is interested in Pashinyan’s victory. If Pashinyan acts like Saakashvili, his fate will be worse than Saakashvili’s.
– Can Turkey opening the railway line with Armenia help Pashinyan?
– In the 2021 elections, the use of harsh rhetoric by Azerbaijan and Turkey regarding Armenia worked in his favor. This time, we have opened the railway line to Armenia, we are selling fuel to Armenia, and goods from Russia to Armenia are being transported through Azerbaijan. However, the direct impact of this on the Armenian voter is not yet significant, a final peace treaty has not been signed, and land borders with Turkey have not been opened. Revanchists can use this to convince voters, who were raised in a spirit of hatred for Turks and are still experiencing the bitterness of defeat, to turn away from Pashinyan, whom they call a servant of the Turks and claim is controlled by Aliyev. Revanchists are trying to convince society that it was because of Pashinyan that Russia did not openly support them in the 44-day war.
Time will tell whether the opening of the railway line works in Pashinyan’s favor or against him.
It is also possible that Russia will not prevent Pashinyan from winning this election either; its main goal is simply to form a strong pro-Russian opposition to scare Pashinyan and make him more obedient. If a pro-Russian politician comes to power in Armenia, the West may impose sanctions on him. And Russia does not need that. Currently, Russia receives many goods from the West that are not sold to Russia through Armenia.
– Who is more beneficial for Azerbaijan to win?
– Pashinyan is leading the peace process, and we need lasting peace in the region. Strong and intelligent nations want stability and prosperity in their neighbors. If Pashinyan remains, Armenia will develop comprehensively. Competing with the strong in a good sense will serve to improve the well-being of our people and our development. If we want peace, we must pursue a peaceful policy towards our neighbors, open our borders and doors, and cooperate closely with them. Along with this, we must have strong national unity, strong allies, and a strong economy internally.